I. (ˈ)in+, ən, (ˈ)in+ adjective
Etymology: Latin indefinitus, from in- in- (I) + definitus, past participle of definire to limit, determine — more at definite
: not definite: as
a.
(1) of a grammatical modifier or a pronoun : typically designating an unidentified or not immediately identifiable person or thing
some in “some books” is an indefinite modifier
anyone is an indefinite pronoun
the indefinite articles a and an
(2) of an adjective form or set of adjective forms : strong 16b
(3) of a verb form or set of verb forms in French : typically denoting completed occurrence of an action — usually used in the phrase past indefinite
j'ai dit “I said” contains a past indefinite verb
(4) of a verb form or set of verb forms in English : denoting an action as neither completed nor continuing
saw in “I saw the show” is the past indefinite of see
— compare perfect 5, progressive 7
b. : being of a nature that is not or cannot be clearly determined : not precise : vague , obscure , uncertain , ambiguous
what he really meant to say remains indefinite
c.
(1) : having no exact limits : indeterminate in extent or amount : not clearly fixed
sentenced to an indefinite prison term
an area with indefinite boundaries
an indefinite number of people
(2) : not narrowly confined or restricted
indefinite extent
: continuing with no immediate end being fixed : unlimited
planned to spend an indefinite period in Europe
d. of floral organs
(1) : numerous and not easy to determine by reason of being neither constant in number nor in multiples of the petal number
(2) : racemose
• in·def·i·nite·ly adverb
• in·def·i·nite·ness noun
II. noun
: something that is indefinite ; especially : a word that is grammatically indefinite
a, some, and other indefinites